Dry-pipe valve.



A. I. IOEPSINGER.

DRY PIPE VALVE. APPLICATION FILED Nov. I7, Ism.

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- lut'clledcpf. 5, 1916.

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V/ Z O7 A/d 2 2 i 0/1 m m w w I AT-rmmmar ALBERT J'. LOEPSINGER, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODEIISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL FIRE EXTINGUISHER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

DRY-PIPE VALVE.

of Providence, in the county of Providence' and State of Rhode Island, have invented ,certain new and useful Improvements' in DryPipe Valves; and I do hereby declare the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The present invention relates to improvements in dry pipe valves for use in automatic sprinkler systems.

In an application of even date herewith I have shown and described two forms of dry pipe valves, the characteristic feature of each of said forms being that the air-valve and the water-valve close the waterway at each valve when seated and are both mounted outside of the waterway to swing about a. common center, and with the axis of the airvalve located` at a greater distance from said common center than the axis of the watervalve, and so that thereby there will be a correspondingly greater leverage through which the airpressure acts as compared with the leverage through which the water-pressure acts. In one form of valve shown in said application the air-valve and the watervalve, together with the seats therefor, are arranged in different planes and at an oblique angle to each other, said air-valve and water-valve being rigidly connected together by a connecting bridge-piece.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of such form of dry pipe valve.

To that end the presentinvention consists primarily of a dry pipe valve having the general characteristics above referred to and further characterized by the connection of the air valve and the water valve in such manner as to `provide for a relative rocking movement between them, whereby the simultaneous seating of both valves is facilitated and the action of the pressures thereon is such as to prevent the greater leverage of the air valve from becoming inei'ective when the valves are seated.

The invention further consists in certain Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, ii.

Application led November 17, 1910. vSerial No. 592,811.

constructions, combinations, and arrange ment of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of a dry pipe valve embodying the invention, and Fig. 2 .1s a sectional detail at right angles to the section shown in F ig. 1.

The valve-casing comprises two parts 1 and 2, the abutting faces of which are formed 'at an angle to the axis of the waterway. shown, the two parts benig secured together by bolts 3. The part I of the valve-casing is provided with an inlet opening 4 adapted to communicate with the water supply pipe, and the part 2 is provided with an outlet opening 5 adapted to communicate with the riser of a sprinkler system. The inlet opening is provided with a valve-seat 3 for the water-valve 7, while the part l of the valvecasing isprovided with an angularly arranged valve-seat S for the air-valve 5).

The water-valve r('.and the air-valve S) are arranged at a corresponding angle to each other, and said unter-valve and air-valve are connected together in a manner to be hereinafter described. The two valves thus connected together are carried by a swinging arm l1, one end of which is secured to the air-valve, the other end of` saidvariu being pivoted to the part l of the valve casing by a pivot-pin 12'. The arni ll in the construction shown is bent and so as to bring the. pivot l2 below the water-level 7. rllhis construction of the arm ll and location of the pivot l2 not only insures that the distance from the pivot to the axis of the air-valve shall be greater than the distance from the pivot to the axis ofthe water-valve. but also serves to reduce the space required for the valves to swing in, thereby correspondingly reducing the size of thejvalve-casing.

'T he air-valve 9 is preferably provided with an annular lip of iiexible or yielding material, which may be secured to the main body of said airvalve by screws 14C, said lip 13 constituting the part which seats upon the valve-seat 8.

Preferably the arm ll is provided with a v series of teeth adapted to be engaged by a pivotcd hook or latch 1G for the purpose of holding the valve structure in open position aud preventing it trom accidentally closing again after it is once opened or partially opened. The valve casing is provided with a handhole. cover 17, through which the valve structure may be inserted in or removed from the. valve-casing, and in the construction shown the hook or latch 16 is pivotedv to this handhole cover. Another hand-hole cover 1S indicated by dotted lines is provided to permit access to the interior oi' the valve casing for the purpose of cleaning the valveseats and resetting -the valves. A. drip opening communicates with the intermediate chamber between the two valve-seats for the purpose of taking care of. leakage past either the water-valve or the air-valve, said drip opening being preferably provided with the usual drip-valve 19, as shown.

Referring now to the' manner ot conneoting together the water-valve and the air valve, the water-valve T is provided with an upwardly extendingr boss or projection Q0. while the air-valve is provided with a downwardly extending projection 21, preferably ot' web form. The projection 20 is provided with a hemispherical recess in its upper tace, and the projection 21 is provided with a correspondingly hemispherical recess in its lower face, said recesses together forming a pocket for an interposed ball 22. The projection .20 is provided with a laterally extending flange i223 and the projection 2l .is provided with a corresponding laterally projecting flange 2l, each of said lianges being provided with holes or perforations for the reception of bolts Each of these bolts is preferably provided with a shoulder 20 intermediate its ends, and the lower end of each bolt which is thus ot' reduced diameter is made to substantially lit the corresponding hole in the flange 28. The corresponding hole in the iange 2l, however, is made somewhat larger in diameter than the diameter ot the upper poition o't` said bolt, and so that there may be a limited transverse movement ot' the bolt in said hole. Each of the bolts is provided at its lower end below the iiange with a nut 2T, by means of which the bolts are secured to said flange.

lith the construction above described, when the air-valve and water-valve are seated and air-pressure is pumped up in the sprinkler system, the water-valve will be held closed by the air-pressure in the system acting upon the air-valve, and with said constructimi, as will be understood, the airpressure required to holdthe water-valve closed may be materially lessthan the waterpressure which is acting on the Wate1valVe and tending to open the same.

mesme When the air-pressure in the system becomes reduced below the predetermined point. as by the opening of one or more sprinklers, and so that such air-pressure is no longer able t0 hold the watervalve closed, the water-pressure acting upon the water-valve will serve to openl the same, and in thus opening. the waterwalve and the air- 'alve will both be caused to swing about a common center, and in so swinging will be moved to' a position wholly to one side ot' the water\vay` and so as to leave a free and unobstructed passre for the Water in Yflowing to the. sprinkler system. As the 'atervalve and air-valve. are thus swung about a common center, the. hook or latch 16 automatically engages successively the teeth 15, and so that said latch will serve to hold the valves in their open position and to prevent their heilig accidentally closed.

ln the present construction, as will be seen, the water-valve, instead ot' being rigidly connected to the air-valve, is capable of a limited rockingor tipping movement independent of and with relation to said air-valve. This serves to `facilitate the simultaneous seating of the two Valves. Moreover, since the pivotal connection between the valves is located'at one side of the axis of the air valve the action of the air pressure on said valve'results in a relative rocking movement of the two valves sufiicient to take up the looseness of tit which, in order to insure a free pivotal action when the valves open, is customarily ln'ovided at the pivot 12. Thus when the valves are closed the valve-carrying arm is always maintained in Contact with said pivot, and this is important for the reason that in the absence ot' such contact the valveearrying arm would become tunctionless as a means for determining the leverage through which the pressures on the Valves act and consequent-ly the elieetive or result ant pressure tending to hold the valves closed when seated would depend upon their areas alone. Such pressure, however, would ordinarily be insutlicient to hold the Water valve on its seat, and in such case said valve would be repeatedly subjected to opening movements ot' sufiicient extent to produce contact between the valve-carrying arm and its pivot, with the result that considerable leakage would inevitably occur. Such a result is prevented by the arrangement above described` since the axis ot' the air valve passes the pivotal bearing Q2 on the opposite side of the latter from the pivot 12 and hence. the air pressure causes the arm 1,1 to rock until it comes in contact with the pivot 1" at approximately the under Side of the latter, so that the intended leverage of both valves is maintained and any Valveopening ,movement whatever 1s necessarily a swinging movement about said pivot.

By connecting the water-valve and airvalve together byA the bolt construction shown and described, a suliicient capacity for the swinging or tipping of the air-valve is provided, while the extent of such rocking or tipping movement is limited, thereby serving to maintain the water-valve in substantially its normal relation to the airvalve, when said valves are opened, and so that in reseating the valves no special or Separate manipulation of the water-valve will be required, but instead said watervalve will be brought properly upon its seat by simply swinging back the arm 11 to its normal position.

lVhatI claim as my invention and4 desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

, l. A dry-pipe valve having in combination a watenvalve and an air-valve with valve-seats therefor, said valves being `arranged at an angle to each other and mounted to swing about a common center, and being connected together by a pivotal connection, with the axis of the air-valve extending outside of such pivotal connection on the side away from said common center.

2. A dry-pipe valve having in combination a water-valve and an air-valve with valve-seats therefor, said valves being arranged at an angle to each other and mounted to swing about a, common center, and being connected together by a pivotal connection, with the axis of the air-valve extending outside of said pivotal connection on the side away from said common center and witha means for yielding engagement between said air-valve and its seat.

3. A dry-pipe valve having in combination a water-valve and an air-valve with Valve-seats therefor, said valves being arranged' at an angle to each other and mounted to swing about a common center, and being connected together by a ball and socket joint, with the axis of the airvalve extending to one side of the center of said ball on the side away from said common center.

4. A dry-pipe valve comprising an air valve, a water valve carried .thereby and pivotally connected thereto, said valves being arranged at an oblique angle to each -other and adapted to close the water-way at each valve when seated, and valve-carrying means connected to the air valve and mounted to swing about a center with respect to which the air valve has greater leverage than the water valve.

5. A dry-pipe valve comprising an air valve and a water valve pivotally connected to each other at one side of the axis of the air valve and arranged to close the waterway at each valve when seated, one of said valves having a yielding engagement with its seat, and valve-carrying means connected to the latter valve and mounted to swing about a center with respect to which the air valve has greater leverage than the water valve.

6. A dry-pipe valve comprising a casing,

' an arm pivotally mounted therein, outside of valve.

7. A dry-pipe valveV comprising a casing, an arm pivotally mounted therein, outside of the water-way, an air valve carried by said arm, a water valve carried by the air valve at an oblique angle thereto and havmg a universal-joint connection therewith, and valve seats at each of which the waterway is'closed by the corresponding valve when seated, the pivotal axis of said arm being so located that the airvalve has greater leverage than the water valve.

8. A dry-pipe valve comprising a casing containing an air valve seat arranged at an inclination With respect to the waterway and a water valve seat extending transversely with respect to the water-way, said seats being located one beyond the other with the water-way passing through both of them, a pivotally-mounted arm located outside of the valve seats and movable toward and away from the latter, an air valve carried by said arm, and a water valve carried by the air valve and having a pivotal connection therewith between the axis of the latter and the pivotal axis of said arm.

9. A dry-pipe valve comprising a casing containing an air valve seat arranged at an inclination with respect to the water-way and a water valve seat extending transversely with respect to the water-way, said seats being located one beyond the lother with the water-way passing through both of them, a pivotally-mounted arm located outside of the valve seats and movable toward and away I from the latter, an 4air valve rigidly secured to said arm and having means for yielding engagement with its seat, and a water valve carried by the air valve and having a pivotal connection therewith between the axis of the latter and the pivotal axis of said arm.

10. A dry-pipe valve comprising a casing providing yan upwardly-,extending waterway and containing a slanting valve seat and a transversely-extending water valve seat, said seats being located one above the other with the Water-way passing through jointconnection therewtx between the mi@ both of them, :L pwotnHy-mounted arm 10- 0f theyuu Valve and the plvotal aXls of Saud cated outslde of the valve s :its und movable arm.

toward and away from the latter, an air ALBERT J. LOEPSINGER. 'valve n gxdly secqred coA saldvarm and huvlng Yltnessesz u vleldmg margm, and a water valve car- N H. THURSTON,

red by the air valve und having u universuL J. H. THURSTON. 

